1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an accelerator pedal, particularly an accelerator pedal with variable pedal effort that makes a driver recognize a danger to maintain safe traveling by changing the pedal effort of the accelerator pedal in accordance with a difference in distance or speed from the vehicle ahead.
2. Description of Related Art
Accelerator pedals of vehicles in the related art have a pedal arm pivotably connected to the vehicle body and a pedal pad attached with a large area to one end of the pedal arm to enable a driver to easily operate the accelerator pedal with a foot, and the other end of the pedal arm is connected to a throttle valve of the engine by a cable. Accordingly, as the driver operates the accelerator pedal with a foot, the accelerator pedal pivots and the throttle valve opens in proportion to the pivot amount, such that the amount of intake air flowing into the engine is adjusted.
With the accelerator pedal pivotably connected to the vehicle body, a return spring is provided such that the pedal can easily return to the initial position when the driver releases the accelerator pedal after operating the accelerator pedal.
However, since the return spring has a constant elastic modulus and applies an elastic force, which linearly increases in proportion to the displacement, to the accelerator pedal, the pedal effort of the accelerator pedal changes in accordance with the traveling conditions of the vehicle, such that it is insufficient to achieve a function of appropriately warning the driver.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.